Boxer Hector Camacho Arrested

CLEWISTON, Fla. — Former boxing champion Hector (Macho) Camacho was arrested on cocaine and assault charges after he allegedly pulled a gun on a juvenile who made an obscene gesture at his companion, police said Wednesday.

Camacho, 25, was arrested Tuesday night and released from a Hendry County Jail substation on bond, said Police Chief Glenn Mickey. An unidentified boy filed the aggravated assault charge against Camacho after a fight last week at a Clewiston high school, Mickey said.

According to Mickey, Camacho, former World Boxing Council super featherweight and lightweight champion, was with another male juvenile at the time.

"From my understanding, one boy threw a bird at the other one," Mickey said. "Hector thought he was doing it to him. They got into an altercation, and Hector pulled a gun on him and threatened to kill him."

After his arrest, Camacho was left alone briefly in a police booking station. An officer watching him on a video monitor saw him remove a small plastic bag from his wallet and tuck it into his underwear, police said.

Subsequent tests revealed the bag contained a small amount of cocaine, and he was charged with possession of a controlled substance.

Police said Camacho did not have a permit to carry a weapon, but was not additionally charged because weapons violations are included in the aggravated assault charge.

Camacho is well known in the rural farming community about 60 miles west of West Palm Beach and has a training camp in nearby Montura.